Harmony Grove freed from city

HARMONY GROVE -- Among the rolling hills, grazing horses and
sleepy ranch houses in the Harmony Grove area west of Escondido lie
years of unrest and distrust among the residents.

A dispute between homeowners and the city of Escondido may not
be readily apparent in a tranquil landscape of scattered homes,
horse trails, dusty roads and mooing cows.

Residents say Harmony Grove is their own sacred piece of rural
life in a growing, overly urban North County, and they have had to
fight like hell to keep it that way.

Now, they say, they've finally won.

"The last proposal by the city (of Escondido) would have rezoned
our 900 acres into industrial parks," said Kathy DaSilva, a Harmony
Grove resident as she protectively surveyed the countryside last
week. "People think it would just affect vacant land, but it isn't
true. They would be taking our homes."

After years of battling the city of Escondido over control of
the land, residents say they can now breathe a little easier.

A state agency called the Local Agency Formation Commission has
formally removed the 922-acre community from Escondido's sphere of
influence. That means that Harmony Grove is no longer an area
Escondido hopes or plans to annex into its city limits.

"The (state commission's) staff felt that if you balance all of
the issues, there are quite a few reasons for retaining the
community in the city's sphere," said Michael Ott, the commission's
executive officer. "But there was persuasive testimony presented at
the meeting and so the commission was persuaded."

State separates Harmony Grove

The 17-member commission's unanimous vote Sept. 8 to remove
Harmony Grove from the city's sphere went against the wishes of the
Escondido City Council, which had narrowly voted to keep it despite
residents' protests.

The state commission consists of representatives from the
county, area cities, special districts and the public, with each
serving four-year terms.

"We were so surprised by the (state's) decision," said Mid
Hoppenrath, a Harmony Grove resident who lobbied the commission
about concerns over future industrialization. "LAFCO was really
willing to listen to us and hear our concerns."

Since none of the neighbors uses city water or sewer services,
there was no difficulty severing city ties, DaSilva said. Now,
Harmony Grove's future is under the control of the county Board of
Supervisors and all development proposals must be approved by that
governing board.

The state commission did follow the city's other recommendations
of adding to its sphere of influence a new 133-acre housing
development, called Rancho Vistamonte, that lies east of Rancho San
Pasqual and north of the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

The state also let Escondido keep the right to annex the Deer
Springs area, after residents there changed their minds and agreed
in February to stay with the city for benefits like water and sewer
services. Deer Springs covers 240 acres north of the city along
Jesmond Dene Road.

The state commission voted on Escondido's study of its sphere of
influence plan, which the city had been updating in response to
developer requests and a need for new information, according to
city reports.

City hopes Harmony Grove will return

Mayor Lori Pfeiler said she was not surprised by the state's
vote and understands the Harmony Grove residents' concerns.

Still, she hopes they will one day reconsider.

"It is my desire that the Harmony Grove area stay in the
Escondido sphere," she said. "It just seems natural to me to be in
Escondido. It was my hope that if we let them out now, they may
some day realize that they want to come back in."

For now, however, Harmony Grove residents have all too fresh in
their minds the five different attempts to industrialize their
area. That kind of development, they say, would cause their
property values to plummet and, worse yet, destroy one of only a
few truly rural areas left.

"We understand that Escondido needs the industrial land,"
DaSilva said. "But this would just devastate us."

Even Escondido's promise in February 2001 not to turn the farm
land into much-needed industrial development was too little too
late.

"For the last 14 years I have been here, Escondido is always
trying to bring in industrial development," said resident Janice
Mills. "I know they say they won't now, but Escondido really
doesn't have a good track record with us."

Hoppenrath added that the change in governing authority will
help both the city and Harmony Grove.

"I think now, in this position, we can have a better
relationship with the city," she said. "I think people are starting
to realize that rural communities can stand on their own and don't
need the city. We will not be a drain on city services."

Residents feel safer with county

Residents say they have full faith in their new landlord, the
county of San Diego and accept the development coming their
way.

Santa Monica-based developer New Urban West is about to submit
plans to the county to build 730 houses on 412 acres in the valley
basin of Harmony Grove where chicken farmers now operate, according
to Tom Zanic, the vice president of New Urban West.

Zanic said either under the city or county, he intends to bring
the project forward in the next few months in hopes of starting
construction in two to three years.

"We took a neutral position on the city's sphere," Zanic said.
"The water services is current there and we get our own sewer
services on the site. The plans we have been currently working on
will be unchanged by this."

For the residents nestled in the scenic countryside, the peace
that they sought in Harmony Grove has returned. The neighborhood
council that represents the area has no plans to fight Zanic and
his development, DaSilva said.

Mills added that she hasn't seen New Urban's plan, but
understands that some development is necessary.

"We would rather have less houses, of course, but a village
concept is a good compromise," Mills said. "As long as it is all
going to be concentrated on the valley floor and leave the hills
alone."